The Rogue Ninja of the Snow
by TranscodeNightCat
Summary: A ninja lacking the ability to channel his own chakra was exiled from his village. He found strength in swords and kunai. He had tried to prove himself to his village and failed, but he acquired an ancient power as a gift on his journey. During his exile he finds himself in the Land of Fire as he tries to make a new name for himself and build his reputation as a ninja. Contains OC
1. Prologue

Aaron lived in the Village Hidden Among Snow. He was twelve years old, and fairly unusual to the people of his village. He had a thin yet physically fit body which played to his advantages in matters of speed and agility. Aaron was a little over five feet tall and had short brown hair that always stuck up in weird places which he never bothered to comb and he had yellow eyes, an unusual combination for someone of his village. To make matters worse, Aaron could not channel chakra. This alone made Aaron an outcast to his village, not being able to use chakra was considered an unforgiveable flaw, and Aaron was constantly ridiculed for it by his peers, mentors, and at times, his parents.

While Aaron could not use chakra, he had impressive mastery with swords and knives. Aaron could always be seen challenging someone to a fight in his village. While they used chakra based jutsus, Aaron used his sword as well as kunai; Aaron usually won his fights, but he still could not earn respect from those of his village. His village would not even allow him to wear the headband that symbolized his devotion to the village as a ninja.

Aaron was currently in the village square fighting a group of boys who had been picking on Aaron earlier that day. "Icy Wind Jutsu!" They all shouted making hand signs and releasing a gust of hail at Aaron who deflected the hail with his sword, a katana that he had found in the snow as a child. Aaron flung a constant barrage of kunai at them which they used their jutsus to deflect. Aaron then began slashing at them rapidly with his sword while they continued manipulating their chakra to summon animals made of ice that Aaron carved to pieces with his sword. Aaron kept attacking them and defending against their attacks until they collapsed from exhausting their chakra. Aaron used their moment of weakness to his advantage as he barraged them with kunai and then pinned them to the ground holding his sword to one of their necks. "Forfeit?" Aaron asked holding the blade to one of their necks and staring at him menacingly.

"Fine, you win. Guys, let's leave this loser before his reputation rubs off on us." He said walking away with his friends.

Aaron stowed his sword in the holder on his back and sighed as he walked off only to be confronted by a woman who appeared to be a messenger. "Aaron, you have been requested to appear before the village leader." Aaron groaned; whenever the leader wanted to see him it was never good.

Aaron walked to the leader's office and stood at the door glaring at the older gentleman sitting at a desk. "You wanted to see me?" Aaron asked irritated and glaring at him.

"Take a seat." He said motioning to a chair. Aaron ignored him and continued to stand as he began speaking. "You are a fine fighter Aaron, but because you can not channel chakra, you are an outsider to this village and not fit to be a ninja,"

"Get to the point." Aaron said irritated by the words this man had said to him countless times before.

"The people of this village want you to leave. They think that you are a nuisance and a threat to the image and traditions of this village. Your parents have also agreed to this." He said holding up a document with his family's crest on it.

"How long do I have?" Aaron asked coldly.

"I have allotted you two weeks to get your affairs in order." He said.

"I'll prove to you that I'm worthy to be a ninja of this village by then." Aaron said as he bowed and walked out of the room. Aaron walked to the library of his village and went to the village history section as he began looking through the scrolls for something that would let him stay in the village.

Aaron looked through the scrolls and the same thing came up constantly. They all referenced a mountain range in which legendary ninja of the village had all gone to forge weapons and armor of pure perfection. The flames of the forge were legendary and said to be made of ice so cold that it burned; only those who were deemed worthy by the spirits of the mountain would be granted the ability to use the forge's great power, and weapons could only be forged under a full moon.

Aaron decided that going to the forge would be his best chance of being accepted by the people of his village. He obtained a map of the mountain range as well as a detailed copy of the legend. Aaron packed his bags and dressed in a fur cloak as he stowed his sword on his back and began making the trek up the mountain. Aaron's parents didn't really care when he told them when he was leaving on a journey up the mountain; they thought that it meant that he was leaving early. A few people heard of Aaron's journey; they told him that he was unworthy to climb the mountain and was a bigger disgrace to himself and the village for deciding to climb it. Others just thought that he would not make it and would die from extreme cold or something.

Aaron decided to start climbing immediately after he gathered his supplies. Aaron walked to the base of the mountain and saw two large paths. He opened the scroll and read one of the riddles written at the bottom. "At the base of the mountain, anyone can climb the two paths, but the third is a bit harder."

Aaron read the riddle over and looked at the snow covered paths; in the middle there was a large glacier making sure that you chose a path. Aaron saw the snow covering on the first two paths and walked over to the glacier. He brushed off a bit of the snow and saw the mark of his village carved in to the glacier. Aaron took off one of his gloves and touched the mark. The mark glowed red, and Aaron watched as the ice melted away revealing a tunnel that had old looking stone stairs going downward. Aaron walked down the stairs and watched the glacier seal behind him. Once the glacier closed, several torches magically ignited illuminating Aaron's path. Aaron walked down the stairs which seemed to be endless until he reached a stone wall. Aaron put his hand to it and tried pushing it, but nothing happened.

Aaron looked around the small cavern and saw an intricately carved pedestal. There was writing carved in to it, but it was tarnished and fairly hard to read, but Aaron was able to make it out.

 _Lay down the items which cause harm, violence, and war. A true ninja needs not these items._

Aaron read it again to make sure that he was not making any mistakes. Reluctantly, he removed his shoulder strap as well as his kunai and set them on a pedestal. The writing on the pedestal glowed blue and Aaron's weapon's followed suit; they then turned to snow and covered the stone wall which turned to ice and shattered. Aaron walked down another hallway illuminated by torches.

The whole time Aaron felt like someone was watching him, but he paid no attention to it as he continued moving. He saw a skeleton nearby, probably someone who failed in their journey to the top. Aaron looked at the remains and saw the headband of The Village Hidden Among Snow lying there. Aaron picked it up and tied it around his left wrist. "I won't disappoint my village." Aaron said as he finished making the headband in to a wrist guard.

Aaron approached the next room where the floor was covered in ice. Aaron took a step and a kunai made of ice was shot at him; Aaron quickly jumped back. He opened his pack and pulled out the scroll with the legend written on it.

 _A ninja is graceful, agile, and fast. Prove your heritage._

The scroll's message was pretty straightforward. Aaron dashed on to the ice performing various flips and jumps as he dodged the spikes and kunai that appeared out of nowhere. He used the ice to pick up speed as he ran by. When he finally made it across, Aaron looked at himself and saw a kunai lodged in his shoulder. Aaron pulled it out quickly and winced in pain as he felt the cold sting of the kunai. Aaron tore up part of his cloak and wrapped it around the wound; Aaron took the remaining part of his cloak and wrapped himself in it as he decided to rest before continuing onward.

When Aaron woke up he read the next part of the scroll.

 _The forge is near, but you must obtain the ore with which to forge what you desire._

"How do I obtain the ore though?" Aaron asked himself as he closed the scroll in frustration. Aaron walked forward and up some stairs which were the most that he had ever seen. At the top, Aaron could see light. As he got closer though, the light turned to dark clouds bombarding down a mix of snow and hail.

"I need to keep going. I'm going to get that ore and go to the forge." Aaron said to himself as he pulled his cloak tightly around him and pulled the hood up. Aaron trudged slowly through the snow; the combination of the high altitude and the weather made it hard for Aaron to move. Aaron looked over the edge of the cliff and knew that he could not make any mistakes up there. Aaron continued moving still feeling the presence he felt before of someone watching him.

Aaron ignored the feeling as he continued moving upward. Aaron saw something hanging from the edge of one of the cliffs. He ran over as fast as he could and looked over to see a snow leopard-like creature dangling by its claws which were barely clutching the rock. Aaron didn't hesitate as he grabbed the creature's paw and lifted it back up on to the cliff. The creature looked exhausted, and Aaron saw a cave nearby, so he used the last of his strength to drag the creature back to the cave. Aaron leaned against the cave wall trying to catch his breath. He then rummaged through his bag and pulled out a small white package that he started unwrapping; it was some dried fish and the last of the food rations that Aaron had packed with him. Aaron held the fish up to the creature who eventually took a bite and continued eating the food.

"I'm glad that you're okay." Aaron smiled briefly at the creature before he let out a loud yawn; Aaron was exhausted from the hazardous weather he was trekking through, and saving that creature drained the remaining bit of his energy as he fell on to his knee. Aaron laid down on his cloak and quickly fell asleep. Aaron didn't even feel the creature lifting Aaron on to its back and carrying him off.

Aaron woke up and found himself lying on a mat made of straw inside some sort of cavern den; several of the snow leopard creatures were looking at him as he woke up. "Oh, you're awake." One of them said putting a paw to Aaron's forehead. "And your fever has gone down significantly."

"What do you mean? I'm fine." Aaron said looking at himself with slight shock; the wound on his shoulder had been mended and he was wrapped in some sort of blanket. "Thanks for saving me, but why?" Aaron asked.

"You saved me, and we thought it only best to return the favor." The creature that Aaron saved earlier said.

"We have been watching you this whole time monitoring your progress. Our leader would like to meet you if you could please follow me." One of the snow leopards told Aaron motioning for him to follow; he was different from the other creatures in the sense that he wore some sort of silver collar with a green gemstone in the middle. Aaron followed him through several tunnels in the cave and he was led to another den where a snow leopard with a chest plate adorned with several gemstones in it stood proudly with other leopards by his side.

Aaron got done on one knee and kneeled before the majestic creature. "Rise up child." Aaron did as instructed. "We have been monitoring your progress. You have done very well to make it this far. But I must ask. Why do you not possess your own headband of the Village Hidden Among Snow?" He asked pointing to the band wrapped around Aaron's arm. "Is it because you can not channel your chakra?"

Aaron hadn't told them this and was confused. "How did you know that?"

"Our species was brought about by a legendary ninja of the snow. Our divine duty is to protect the forge from those who are unworthy. One of our gifts granted to us is the ability to see the chakra of others." He told Aaron looking at him with his piercing eyes.

"Like Byakugan?" Aaron asked.

"Yes, but this ability is unique to us alone." The leader said. "Now, you have saved one of our own and are truly worthy to wear the mark of your village. However, we still must repay you for your generosity. You live by the ninja code and deserve to be treated honorably by us."

"Can you show me to where the ore is?" Aaron asked.

"We will do more than that for you. We shall give you the ore and grant you safe passage to the legendary forge, but the full moon is not until tomorrow night, so until then we invite you to rest with us." The leader said to Aaron who smiled and nodded his head as he was led back to one of the dens where he could rest.

One of the leopards who was rather motherly made sure that Aaron was comfortable as she wrapped her arms around him and snuggled him closely to her. Aaron enjoyed the warmth and comfort that she provided him as he smiled in his sleep. Aaron was woken up from his sleep by one of the elite leopards who brought Aaron back to the leader's den. "What is it?" Aaron asked rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"The tribe members and I have spoken. We have decided to grant you more than what you wished for." The leader told Aaron who was curious by what they were going to offer him. First two leopards walked over and handed Aaron triangularly shaped armor plating for his shoulders and his lower legs. "This armor was crafted long ago in the forges by us. It is impenetrable and shall never dull, tarnish or wear."

"Thanks." Aaron said as he strapped on the plates which fit him perfectly.

"That is not all. We have decided to perform an ancient ritual to grant you our abilities." The leader said looking at Aaron as the leopard that he saved approached.

"This was my choice. I want to thank you for saving me, and the most honorable way to thank a human is to grant them our power. Of course I'll have to sacrifice myself to do it." He told Aaron who grew nervous.

"I don't think that I'm comfortable with that." Aaron said ready to leave, but pinned down by several of the other guards.

"I'm sorry, but once this has been decided you have no say. Hopefully you'll accept the power." The leader said as the other leopard leaned over Aaron and bit in to his upper right arm with his sharp teeth. Aaron winced in pain and closed his eyes struggling to fight the pain.

Aaron passed out and found himself in a cold mountain setting; the leopard who bit him was standing in front of him. "My name is Silver. Our souls shall become one and our powers will be shared."

"Why would you do this? I'm not worth your trouble. I can't even channel chakra." Aaron sighed.

"I chose to do this because you are worthy. You are an honorable ninja who deserves recognition for his skills. Plus you saved me. Without you, I would not be here." He told Aaron smiling. "Now, accept my power!" He roared loudly causing Aaron to wake up.

Aaron clutched his chest sweating as he woke up. One of the leopards pushed Aaron back down on the floor and instructed him to relax. She told Aaron that the power was settling in as she motioned to the bandage on his arm. Aaron tore it off and looked at his arm; on it was silver lines that came together to form the head of a cat. "This is the gift of our people. With it your reflexes shall be enhanced and you can access the power of our piercing stare." She told Aaron who touched the mark on his arm; it started glowing and Aaron's eyes glowed as he looked around and saw the heat being given off by everyone in the den. He could even see through the walls at all angles. Aaron touched the mark again and blinked as his eyes returned to normal and the mark stopped glowing.

"Don't worry. You'll get used to the power eventually, but right now you need to rest. Tomorrow we shall take you to the forge so you can accomplish what you came for." She said wrapping Aaron in her arms forcing him to lay down as he closed his eyes and fell back asleep.

Aaron woke up to one of the leopards nuzzling him. "It's almost time and we have a long journey to the top. We need to get moving." She said as one of the other leopards motioned for Aaron to follow. Aaron grabbed his bag and strapped on his armor; another leopard handed him a heavy chunk of metal and rock. They told him that this was the legendary ore and he had to carry it to the top. Aaron did as instructed and followed a group of leopards who were leading the way through several tunnels and snow covered passes. After several hours, they made it to the top and the moon had just become visible.

Aaron looked down and saw a pit with blue flames rising from it. An aurora could be seen overlooking the peak of the mountain. Aaron heard a voice commanding him to throw the ore in to the flames; Aaron did as instructed and watched the flames lick the ore and the stone melt away.

"Worthy ninja, what is it that you request?" The voice asked as the refined ore floated upwards.

"A sword that will command respect." Aaron said. With that, the metal started changing shape until a sheathed katana floated towards Aaron. Aaron unsheathed the blade and examined it; the blade was perfect. The metal was incredibly sharp and it was perfectly balanced and light weight as Aaron swung it; even the grip seemed to be unique to him.

"This blade is perfect and only worthy to be owned by an honorable ninja. Young boy, you have proven yourself worthy to wield this weapon of perfection. The metal shall never wear, tarnish, or dull. The legendary metal of this mountain is now in your hands tempered in the blue fires of the legendary forge. Use the gifts of the mountain wisely. Very few have been given the gifts that you have." The voice said before fading away.

Aaron sheathed the katana and put the shoulder strap over himself as he was taken back down the mountain. "You shall always be welcome back to the mountains here. That mark is a symbol that you are part of this tribe now." One of the leopards said motioning to the cat mark on Aaron's arm.

Aaron thanked them and made his way back to the village as the sun started to rise. Aaron walked through the gates of the village and saw several people staring at them. He walked directly up to the chief who was standing in the square. "I made the journey to the mountain and to the legendary forge." Aaron said kneeling before the chief and unsheathing the sword and holding it in both of his hands.

The chief as well as several others stared at him. "You should have perished in the mountain. It would have been more honorable. That headband that you wear around your arm brings shame to this village. You are no ninja. Leave now." The chief commanded.

Aaron sheathed the sword and stood up and looked the chief directly in the eye. "I've done everything to try and prove myself to be a worthy ninja of this village. Clearly you're not worth it." Aaron said as he walked right out of the village standing tall. Aaron saw a train leaving the village, and he hopped aboard hoping that it would take him far away. Aaron fell asleep on the train.

Aaron woke up in a dream. He was in the mountain again with a large group of leopards nearby. "Aaron, we saw your struggles with the people of your village. With the mark of our tribe, we can see what you see and communicate with you through dreams. We are very sorry to have seen this happen. Please know that we will keep an eye on you. Wherever you may go." The leader said.

"Thank you. I hope to find a place where I can fit in." Aaron said before the dream blacked out. When Aaron woke up, he found himself still on the train where the sun was coming up; Aaron was in The Land of Fire near the Village Hidden by Leaves. Aaron jumped from the train and stealthily made his way to the woods nearby. Aaron pulled an ax from his bag and began chopping at the trees until he had a large pile of logs. It took a few weeks, but Aaron had finally built himself a small cabin in which to reside. He spent a few more weeks starting to farm and getting water running from a nearby stream to the cabin via a canal. Other than that, Aaron started hunting for food; his kunai along with his sharpened instincts pierced through the animals and were quickly collected to be butchered and cooked by Aaron.

Aaron changed his outfit. He wore a pair of long pants, no shoes, and no shirt. He kept the armor plating on his shoulders and his lower legs. The only thing on his chest was his shoulder strap which supported the sheathed katana on his back. Aaron kept the headband from his village on his arm as a reminder of where he came from.

People from nearby villages had started to notice the cabin and a few even approached it. Some of them started challenging Aaron who easily defeated them with his katana and the power granted from the snow leopard tribe. Aaron had started doing something a bit untraditional as he won; he would take their headband if they lost, but he would give them one if they won. Aaron hung the headbands from a tree that he had planted. People from other villages and tribes had started challenging Aaron as a sort of unofficial exam; others just saw Aaron as a rogue who was nothing but trouble and needed to be dealt with. Aaron's collection of headbands typically grew which made his legend as a fighter grow and spread. Aaron did not limit himself to one person at a time when he fought; he always wanted to challenge himself further and heighten his reputation, so he challenged multiple people at a time to demonstrate and test his strength. While he did not win all of the time, he won a majority of the time. When he was not fighting, he was training himself further and tending to the chores around his small house which included cleaning, farming, cooking, and hunting. Whatever surplus of meat that he gathered, Aaron would trade with local villages for supplies like pots, pans, utensils, tools, and a few other things that he needed.


	2. Chapter 1

Aaron had just defeated a ninja from the hidden leaf village who was currently lying on the ground. Aaron stowed his sword and touched the mark on his arm causing his eyes to stop glowing. Aaron walked over to the boy and ripped the headband from his head. "You're no ninja." Aaron said coldly staring at the boy.

The boy looked up at Aaron. "Wh-what are you?" He asked weakly.

"That is none of your concern. Now leave." Aaron ordered as the boy quickly stood up and sprinted off. Aaron took the headband and placed it on one of the tree branches.

"Another one? Really?" Tsunade said angrily as she banged her fist on the desk trying not to break it. This was the sixth ninja this week who said that they needed a new headband. They all said the same thing about challenging some boy who lived far out in the woods; apparently when they lost, he would take their headbands, but if they won then he would give them one back. "I need to get some answers about this boy. Please bring me Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Hinata." She told her secretary who quickly disappeared to retrieve the requested ninja.

The ninja quickly made their way to Tsunade's office and stood outside waiting for her to call them in. "Why do you think she wants us?" Hinata asked.

"Probably some mission." Sasuke said as Tsunade opened the door to her office and motioned for them to come in.

"I suppose you know that I brought you here for a mission?" Tsunade asked the ninja who all nodded their heads. "Apparently, a little while out from the village there is a rogue ninja who takes challenges from others and when he wins he takes their headbands as a prize. No one really knows who this person is or what he stands for. We have very little information on him and that's why I called you in, to gather information on him." Tsunade told them.

"What do you know already?" Sakura asked.

"He doesn't seem to use chakra. He uses a sword and kunai as weapons. He also seems to have some sort of Byakugan that he refers to as The Snow Leopard's Piercing Stare. That's why I called in Hinata because I want to get a full analysis of his chakra and this piercing stare technique, and she has Byakugan which will allow her to look in to this boy deeper." Tsunade said handing Sakura a scroll with details on the mission.

"Do you know what kind of ninja he his?" Naruto asked curiously.

"I'm not sure." Tsunade said.

"Well then, I guess we'll find out after I beat him." Naruto said running out of the room; he was followed by Sakura and the others.

They left the village with minimal supplies and began walking through the woods following the coordinates that Tsunade had given them in their mission briefing. After a few hours of moving through the woods, the group paused and decided to stop to eat. They looked through their bags and found no food; Naruto grew nervous as he watched them come up empty. "Where's the food?" Sasuke asked angrily glaring at Naruto.

"I kinda got hungry and ate it." Naruto said rubbing the back of his head. The others quickly grew angry; Sakura hit him on the back of the head.

"You idiot!" Sakura shrieked punching him. "That was all of the food for this mission."

"I'm sorry." Naruto said repeatedly until he smelled something. "Wait I smell food. Follow me." Naruto said leaping up and running. Realizing that they didn't have much of a choice since they had no food, they followed Naruto. The group of ninja found themselves in a clearing with a wood cabin. Next to it was a small patch of land for gardening, a hand dug stream with flowing water to the cabin, some wires strung up with some meat drying on them, and a large fire pit with a kettle pot resting over it that was hissing and steaming and giving off a pleasant smell.

"I told you that I smelled food." Naruto said running over to the kettle and grabbing the ladle that was hanging on a handmade rack near the fire.

"Naruto, that isn't ours. It may not even be edible. For all you know, it could be poison." Sakura said trying to convince Naruto who opened the pot and looked inside to see what appeared to be soup which smelled delicious to him and the others. "Plus, whoever owns this place might come back soon." Sakura said looking around.

"I feel like something is near." Hinata said looking around nervously.

"Well then, they won't mind if I have some soup." Naruto said loudly dipping the ladle in to the pot. Once he lifted it out of the pot, it was knocked out of his hand by a kunai. "Who did that!?" Naruto asked angrily.

A figure emerged from the woods and quickly stood in front of the ninja; he picked up the ladle and held it in his hand. "It's not ready yet." He said calmly staring at Naruto who was still angry about having the soup knocked from his hands.

The ninja looked at the boy who was about their age. He was wearing long black pants, no shoes, and no shirt. He had on a shoulder strap with a sword stowed on a holder on his back. He also had armor plating on his legs and shoulders. He had a ninja headband wrapped around his left arm that looked like a wrist guard; Sakura recognized as a headband from The Village Hidden Among snow. She also noticed the cat head mark on his right arm. "Who are you?" Sasuke asked trying to examine him.

"Aaron." He told them. "You're more than welcome to have some soup now and spend an hour washing the taste from your mouth. Or you can wait until it's done." Aaron said holding the ladle out to Naruto who snatched it from him and dipped it in to the pot. He took a sip from the ladle and quickly spit it out and ran to the stream where he drank vigorously trying to get the taste out of his mouth. "I warned you." Aaron said walking over to the pot and opening a small bag that had been slung around his waist; he pulled out several crushed herbs and berries and tossed them in to the pot and stirred it. "Sorry about that. I had to get some fresh ingredients from the woods for the soup. It should be ready in a few minutes if you want to wait." Aaron told the ninja who agreed to wait for the soup to finish.

Once the soup was done, Aaron grabbed a few bowls and poured each of the ninja a bowl. "This is really good." Hinata said tasting the soup; the others agreed with her while Naruto continued drinking from the river. When he was done, Naruto came back over and Aaron handed him a bowl of soup which he ate nervously at first, but then quickly gulped down.

"So, are you the rogue ninja or not?" Naruto asked as he finished his second bowl of soup.

"Some call me that." Aaron said. "Why did you come to challenge me?"

"Not necessarily challenge you. We were sent to get some information on you." Sakura explained.

"I have a few questions." Hinata said.

"What do you see in me?" Aaron asked her.

"I see that you give off no chakra, and you seem to have some sort of ice cold spirit living in your body." Hinata said.

"I was born without the ability to channel chakra, and the spirit comes from a snow leopard of a secret mountain range that I entered to get my sword. It granted me its power, and their tribe declared me a member." Aaron said motioning to the mark on his arm.

"So what's a hidden snow village ninja doing here?" Sasuke asked.

"Not being able to channel chakra in my village is not something to be tolerated. They banished me from the village. I tried to prove that I was worthy by climbing the mountain and getting my sword, but they still rejected me. This band came from the remains of a ninja I found who failed to climb the mountain." Aaron said motioning to the wrist guard.

"I'd like to challenge you." Naruto said standing up.

"Fine with me." Aaron said standing up and unsheathing his sword. The others moved out of the way to watch them fight. Naruto used his shadow clone jutsu to try and confuse Aaron, but he touched the mark on his arm and activated his power and analyzed which was the real Naruto and attacked him knocking him to the ground. Naruto threw a kunai at Aaron, but he used his enhanced reflexes and slashed through it with his sword. Naruto grew desperate and used his sexy jutsu. Aaron just walked over to him and punched him in the face knocking him to the ground. "Pathetic." Aaron said ripping off his headband and walking over to the tree where he hung it.

"No one calls him pathetic but me." Sasuke snarled ready to fight Aaron.

"If you want to fight for his headband you're more than welcome to." Aaron said readying his sword. Sasuke agreed as he attacked Aaron. Sasuke kicked Aaron to the side and shot him with his fire flower jutsu followed by a barrage of kunai that caught Aaron off guard. Aaron lunged at him and knocked him back, but Sasuke did not go down that easily. He attacked Aaron from behind who dodged each of his attacks with his enhanced reflexes which allowed him to sense what Sasuke was going to do. Aaron thought that he had Sasuke beat, but Sasuke quickly disappeared for a few seconds and knocked Aaron down from behind; he had won.

Aaron stood up and walked back over to the tree and grabbed the headband which he handed to Naruto. "A deal's a deal." Aaron said walking back to his cabin.

"We're not done with you yet." Naruto said as he retied the band around his head.

"Well I'm done with you." Aaron said shutting the door to the cabin.

"Don't start a fight with him. We got what we needed." Sakura said as they began walking back to the Hidden Leaf Village.


	3. Chapter 2

"I trust that you're mission was a success?" Tsunade asked the four ninja who were standing in her office.

"Yes, lady Tsunade." Sakura said handing her a scroll containing their report.

"Except for Naruto getting his butt kicked." Sasuke muttered under his breath.

"I would have gotten him. I was just thrown off from that bad soup!" Naruto shouted loudly drawing everyone's attention.

"You're just lucky that I beat him for you." Sasuke said with his arms crossed and his head down before walking out of the room.

"Get back here! I'm not done with you!" Naruto shouted running after him. Sakura and Hinata followed after them.

Tsunade was left alone reading the report in her office. "No chakra, a ninja from The Village Hidden Among Snow, exiled by his people, and granted a power from a race of snow leopards that guard some sort of mountain pass. This boy has had a troubled past. It would be in the best interest of the village to ensure that he does not become swayed by evil and that he gets some friends. I at least need to make him know that the people of the village do not want to hurt him." Tsunade sighed to herself as she closed the scroll and made a few notes of the report.

Aaron found himself in the snowy mountains once more, but there were no leopards there. Instead, the sky was dark and hail was raining down on Aaron. He saw the village chief looking at him with degradation in his eyes. The village stood by his side sharing the same look that they all directed at Aaron. Suddenly, the mountain beneath Aaron's feet started crumbling and he was falling while the village looked down on him with the same look of degradation.

Aaron woke up clutching his chest and breathing heavily. He touched the mark on his arm and looked around to make sure no one was there; he touched the mark once more ending The Snow Leopard's Piercing Stare. His breathing slowed down a little bit, but Aaron was in no mood to go back to bed. He got out of bed and loaded some wood in to the stove as he lit a fire in the bottom. Aaron made himself a cup of coffee to try and stay awake. He sat on a stump outside of the cabin and watched the sun rise as he sipped his coffee.

Aaron finished his coffee and took a bath before getting dressed and starting his chores for the day. Aaron tended to his crops, collected the meat that he had been drying, and then started making a few home improvements like barrels for storage. After his chores were finished, Aaron started practicing his sword fighting; it was early in the afternoon when he started practicing.

Something felt off to Aaron, so he touched the mark on his arm activating The Snow Leopard's Piercing Stare. In the distance, Aaron could see a figure approaching his cabin; he decided to hide and wait for this person, so he hid in a tree nearby and waited.

Naruto walked over to Aaron's campsite. "Where are you!?" Naruto shouted. "I have some unfinished business to settle with you. Now come out and fight me like a man!" He shouted.

"It's that boy from yesterday." Aaron thought to himself as he looked at Naruto who was banging on Aaron's door and lifting up tree stumps. "Better do something before he destroys my house." Aaron thought to himself as he pulled a kunai from his pocket; he threw the kunai at Naruto who quickly jumped back when he saw it fly at him.

Aaron jumped from the tree with and landed on one knee with his head down and his hand touching the silver mark on his arm; he stood up and stared at Naruto who was still angry. "Cute show. Now let's fight." He said throwing several shuriken at Aaron. Aaron's advanced reflexes kicked in as he drew his sword and deflected all of the throwing stars. Aaron rushed at Naruto and kicked him in the stomach knocking him back. Naruto used his shadow clone jutsu and charged at Aaron who focused on each of the clones until he found the one giving off the strongest presence. Aaron waited for all of them to attack, and he then jumped up slashing the one he knew to be Naruto who fell to the ground clutching his shoulder in pain.

Aaron ripped the headband from his head. "We're done here." He said walking away with the headband in his hand which he promptly hung on the tree and walked back in to his house.

Naruto stood up and brushed himself off. "I'm not leaving until I get my headband back." He muttered under his breath as he walked over to the tree where the headband had been hung. Naruto approached the tree only to be lifted off of the ground by a rope trap that wrapped itself around his ankle.

Aaron walked over and looked up at Naruto scowling. "I thought I told you that we're done here." Aaron said coldly.

"I'm not leaving without my headband. Now do me a favor and get me down from here." Naruto said angrily searching his pockets for kunai. "Where are my kunai?" He asked angrily.

Aaron stood there holding the weapons in his hand. "I took them when we were fighting. You need to be more aware of your surroundings." Aaron said tossing the kunai aside. "I'll bring you back to your village tomorrow morning. For tonight, you can hang there and think about what you did, but I won't be a bad host. Here." Aaron said holding up some food to Naruto who reluctantly took a few bites. After Aaron made sure that Naruto was fed, he went back in to his house to rest for the night.

Aaron woke up early in the morning and got ready by taking a bath, getting dressed and strapping on his armor, and having a quick breakfast. Aaron grabbed some rope and walked over to the tree where Naruto was hanging and still asleep. Aaron skillfully climbed the tree and tied Naruto up with the rope that he was carrying. Aaron then laid a smooth sled-like wooden board directly under Naruto. Aaron then threw a kunai at the rope hanging him from the tree causing him to land on the board with a loud thud.

Naruto woke up and looked around and saw that he was tied up. "What's the big idea, and why am I tied up?" He asked angrily struggling with the ropes.

"Shut up. You're so annoying." Aaron said punching him in the face.

"When I get out of these ropes, you're so going to pay." Naruto snarled earning him a kick in the side from Aaron.

Aaron tied a gag around his mouth. "I'm going to drag you back to your village, but I'm not going to listen to your complaining." Aaron said tightening the gag and punching him in the gut. Aaron tied a rope to the board and began pulling Naruto back to the village who was grunting and struggling the whole time; he stopped after Aaron punched him in the face twice and threatened to put a kunai in his shoulder. Aaron dragged Naruto to the center of the village where Tsunade as well as Sakura, Hinata, and Sasuke were waiting as well as a few other villagers. Aaron tossed Naruto's headband at Tsunade who caught it. "Teach him to listen." Aaron said coldly before dashing off.

Hinata cut him out of the ropes and helped him stand up. "Are you okay?" she asked looking at the bruises that Aaron had given him.

"I'll be okay when I beat him." Naruto said angrily ready to run after Aaron only to be held back by Tsunade.

"You're not going after him." She said sternly. "And that's an order. Aaron is someone who we do not know much about. You're clearly making an enemy of him, and our village doesn't need that right now." Tsunade told him.

Naruto was released from her grip and stormed off. "Don't do anything stupid." Sasuke muttered under his breath catching Naruto's attention.

"The only thing that's stupid is me not being allowed to fight him!" Naruto shouted angrily at him.

"Perhaps you, Sasuke, and Hinata can go check on him." Tsunade suggested to Sakura who asked for a little reasoning behind her choice. "He seems to be very irritated by Naruto, so using him will have a negative impact. Sasuke beat him, and it seems that Aaron has a little bit of respect for him. Hinata can use her Byakugan to get a better understanding of his powers and feelings, and you will serve as a sort of diplomat for the Village of the Hidden Leaf." Tsunade told her as she nodded her head in understanding of her proposal.


	4. Chapter 3

Sakura, Sasuke, and Hinata were headed to Aaron's cabin once more. They were almost there when Hinata stopped them. "I sense something following us." She said.

"So do I." Sasuke said throwing a kunai at a tree and hearing a yelp of pain.

"What the heck was that for?" Naruto shouted as he jumped from the tree.

"You're not supposed to be here!" Sakura shouted hitting him on the head.

"And you could have at least tried to hide yourself better, loser." Sasuke said with his head down blowing his bangs away.

"Well, I'm coming with you whether you like it or not." Naruto said crossing his arms.

"Fine, but when he kicks your butt I'm not winning your headband back." Sasuke told him.

"I don't need your help." Naruto said crossing his arms and sticking his tongue out. Seeing that there would be no getting rid of Naruto they allowed him to tag along knowing that he would have to answer to Tsunade later.

They approached Aaron's cabin and saw him splitting wood. "Do you need any help?" Sakura asked trying to play her role as the diplomat.

"I have a pest problem." Aaron said looking at Naruto. "You're like a cockroach. No matter how many times I try to get rid of you, you're still here." Aaron said scowling at him and returning to splitting wood.

Naruto was enraged by Aaron's words. "Do you wanna go again!?" He asked angrily.

"I'm busy. Now why don't you go home. In fact all of you should go home. I'm not in a good mood today." Aaron barked as he returned to cutting wood. The ninja did not move prompting Aaron to pull the sword from the holder on his back. "Leave, now." Aaron warned them once more getting in to his sword stance.

Aaron was tired of warning them; he swung at all four of the ninja who quickly evaded his attack. Aaron looked for the ninja who briefly disappeared for a second until they all reappeared kicking him from all angles and knocking him to the ground. Aaron tapped the mark on his arm and leapt back up ready to fight. This time he attacked faster knocking the ninja to the ground with his sword, each of them receiving a cut from the incredibly sharp blade.

"Aaron we don't have to do this. We don't want to fight." Sakura said reassuming her role as the diplomat.

"Too late for that." Aaron said flinging a barrage of kunai at her which Naruto blocked and reciprocated at Aaron who cut them up with his sword. Hinata threw several shuriken at Aaron which he dodged with his enhanced reflexes. Sasuke jumped at Aaron from behind which triggered him to quickly turn around and slash him with the sword; Sasuke started bleeding heavily as Sakura dashed over to him to mend his injuries.

"You're gonna pay for that!" Naruto shouted as red chakra flowed from him and he lunged at Aaron who didn't anticipate this power as he was knocked to the ground rendering him unconscious. Naruto quickly snapped out of his Nine-Tailed Fox state as he looked at Aaron lying there on the ground. Sasuke had just walked over after being tended to by Sakura who had cleaned and mended his wounds from the battle.

"We better get him some help." Sakura said as she looked over Aaron's body which was covered in cuts and bruises all in various stages of healing. "It looks like he was injured pretty badly before the battle."

"I'm taking my prize first." Naruto said as he removed the headband from Aaron's arm.

"C'mon. Don't do that." Sakura said as she watched him tie the band on his arm like Aaron did.

Naruto took it a step further; he grabbed Aaron's sword and held it in his hands. "Guys, look at me. I'm Aaron. Get away from me before I chop you up." Naruto mocked as he swung the blade around.

"Now you're pushing it. Put that thing down before you hurt yourself." Sasuke warned him.

Hinata cringed. "Naruto, put it down. Please. You don't know how to handle it."

Naruto didn't listen to her. "I know that it's sharp and powerful." Naruto said swinging the sword around like a toy.

While Naruto was goofing around, the ninja did not notice the glowing mark on Aaron's arm. Just then, Naruto's body froze and his eyes glowed like the mark on Aaron's arm while Aaron remained unconscious. The ninja looked at Aaron's arm which continued to glow.

Naruto awoke to find himself in a snowy mountain pass. Standing in front of him was an army of snow leopards as well as Aaron. "Where am I?" Naruto asked freaking out.

"Ninja of the Hidden Leaf, you have disrespected our ways by treating a weapon of power that is worthy of great respect as a cheap toy." One of the leopards growled at him angrily.

"Don't mess with me, ever." Aaron said coldly as he and the leopards rushed at Naruto.

Naruto dropped the sword and was thrown backward as he woke up from the trance clutching his chest. Aaron stirred a little bit as the mark stopped glowing. "Respect the Snow Leopard's Piercing Stare." Aaron mumbled in his sleep.

Naruto stood up rubbing the back of his head. "That guy is dangerous in his sleep." Naruto said removing the headband from his arm and tossing it back at Aaron.

"What happened? You were in that trance for ten minutes." Sasuke asked.

"I was on a mountain, and Aaron was there along with these snow leopards. They told me to respect their power, and then they all pounced on me. And then I woke up." Naruto told them.

"Can you see anything, Hinata?" Sakura asked.

"The spirit that I saw inside of him before seems to be angry." She told her.

"Is it going to calm down?" Naruto asked nervously.

"There's no way to know for sure. We better get him back to the village, so that Tsunade can get a better look at him. Also, he may need some medical attention." Hinata said motioning to the cuts and bruises across Aaron's body.

"Someone who isn't Naruto, grab his sword and put it somewhere safe. I'll do what I can for his injuries right now, but we need to hurry him to the village." Sakura ordered her team as they lifted Aaron up and started carrying him back to the village.


	5. Chapter 4

Aaron woke up to see a nurse in the room looking at various charts on a monitor and making notes on a clipboard. "I'm so glad that you're awake." She said as she put a hand to Aaron's forehead. Aaron saw that he was wearing his boxers and nothing else; he had several bandages on his arms, legs, and chest.

Aaron was alarmed as he started panicking and breathing heavily; he punched the nurse and ran out of the hospital room. "I need to get out of here." Aaron thought to himself as he continued running through the hospital while bumping in to several doctors and nurses. Aaron eventually found himself cornered by several ninja.

Aaron glared at them about to touch the mark on his arm, but his arm was grabbed by a rather tall woman with short blonde hair. "Aaron, we're not here to hurt you. We're here to help you." She said calmly. Aaron didn't listen, he kept struggling to break free of her grip which only prompted her to inject him with something that made his vision go blurry before passing out.

Aaron woke up again and found himself strapped to the bed this time with the blonde woman from before sitting in a chair. "Sorry about that. You were struggling, and it didn't seem like you were going to listen. I am Tsunade, the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village. You are currently resting in the hospital after our ninja brought you in."

"Why did you bring me here?" Aaron asked coldly.

"You were in poor condition and in need of medical attention, and don't worry about your cabin. I have ninja tending to your crops and everything." Tsunade explained.

"You should have left me to die." Aaron said glaring at her as he broke himself out of the restraints and made himself more comfortable in the hospital bed.

Tsunade was shocked that Aaron wasn't trying to attack her again. "Why would we leave you to die?" Tsunade asked curious about this boy's mindset.

"My village would have." Aaron said with his head down.

"Well, we're not your village, but I'd like to hear about yours." She said calmly.

"My village comes from a more traditional background. I'm sure that your ninja told you that I can't channel chakra, an unforgiveable flaw in my village. My people exiled me for having no chakra. That's all I'm going to tell you, and all you need to know is that they would have left me to die." Aaron said coldly. "Now where are my clothes and my sword?" Aaron asked angrily standing up from the bed.

"Over there." Tsunade said pointing to a table with a pile of folded clothes and Aaron's sword sheathed. Aaron got dressed and looked at Tsunade before jumping from the hospital window. Aaron cringed as he landed on the hard ground, but he tried not to show the pain as he stood up and touched the mark on his arm. Aaron ran from the village and made his way back to the cabin. Aaron saw the ninja working there and told them to leave as he brandished his sword giving them a clear message.

Aaron walked to his room and collapsed on to his bed as he passed out. Aaron found himself in the snow covered mountain pass with several of the snow leopards surrounding him. "They were trying to help you." One of them said.

"I don't need help." Aaron glared at them.

One of them roared and a red flame appeared. "This is your pain, and we sense that this pain is too great for you to be healthy." The leopard said as the flame vanished. "We also sense that you are depressed." The leopard said as a blue flame appeared.

"Whatever." Aaron muttered under his breath knowing that he couldn't hide anything from them.

"We'll be keeping a closer eye on you. You are a member of our tribe, and we look out for our own kind."

"Thanks." Aaron said smiling at them as he felt himself start to wake up. Aaron woke up feeling a bit happier than usual as he made a pot of tea and killed a wild pig that he butchered and cooked part of for breakfast. Aaron smiled as he enjoyed his breakfast. Afterwards, he did his chores.

Sakura, Hinata, and Sasuke showed up later. "Tsunade sent us to check up on you." Sakura said.

"I'm fine." Aaron said as he continued attacking a training dummy until he finally slashed its head off.

Sasuke eyed Aaron and wasn't fooled by his behavior. "Prove it." He said locking eyes with Aaron.

"Sasuke this wasn't part of the mission." Sakura reminded him.

"You want me to prove it? Let's go." Aaron said as he touched the mark on his arm and flung a barrage of kunai at Sasuke who quickly dodged them. He tried to kick Aaron from behind, but Aaron anticipated it and caught his foot and threw him back. Aaron threw a kunai and landed it in Sasuke's leg. Sasuke pulled it out and cringed; Aaron had enough time to pull his sword out as he charged at Sasuke once more. Sasuke kicked Aaron's blade from his hand.

Aaron was determined to get it back, but he was breathing heavily and sweating faster than usual as he tried to go after his sword. "You sure that you're okay?" Sasuke asked sarcastically as he looked Aaron over.

"Better than you." Aaron said as he picked up his sword and rushed at Sasuke knocking him to the ground. Aaron was running on adrenaline and ready to impale Sasuke with one of his kunai, but Sakura and Hinata grabbed him from behind. Sadly for them, Aaron anticipated this and threw them off.

"Enough!" Sakura shouted as she stood up. "Aaron, you're taking this way too far."

Aaron saw what he was doing and looked down in shame as he stowed his sword. Sasuke stood up and was ready to walk over him, but before he could Aaron dashed off in to the woods.

"Hinata, can you track him?" Sakura asked.

"No, he's moving too fast, and I'm losing his presence." Hinata said putting her head down feeling bad that she could not track Aaron.

"He'll come back eventually. Right now he just needs some space. Let's go." Sasuke said coldly as he motioned for the ninja to follow. They reluctantly did so, but they kept turning around to make sure that Aaron was not coming back or readying to attack them again.


	6. Chapter 5

Aaron was sitting in a tree catching his breath. "I can't believe I almost killed him." Aaron kept thinking to himself. He felt bad about almost killing someone. He knew that it was an instinct brought about by his village who thought that if you were to battle with an outsider then your goal was to kill them. When people would challenge him, he always made sure to hold himself back, but for some reason he couldn't hold himself back when he fought with Sasuke. "Maybe it's my injuries, maybe it's me giving in to my primal urges, or maybe I'm just evil. I don't know. I can't think!" Aaron shouted putting both of his hands on his head and screaming loud enough for some birds to fly off as they were startled by the loud noises.

Aaron managed to slow his breathing down as he jumped from the tree. Aaron returned to his cabin which was now empty; he went to bed knowing that he wasn't in any state of mind or body to be working or doing anything for that matter. Sadly for him, it was a rather restless night of sleep as he tossed and turned muttering odd phrases in his sleep.

Aaron woke up sweating and breathing heavily; sadly it was not the first time that night. Aaron had woken up repeatedly performing the same motions of breathing heavily, sweating, and clutching his chest. The only difference was that it was morning now, and Aaron had nothing better to do than wake up and go about his morning activities. Aaron performed the activities mechanically showing no emotion as he finished them.

Aaron returned to his cabin after he finished all of his activities. He opened the trunk that he kept by the foot of his bed and pulled out a black cloak made from the fur of a bear he killed who had been destroying his crops; also Aaron was in a bad mood that day and needed something to take his anger out on and the bear just happened to be there. Aaron put the cloak on making sure that his sword was concealed beneath it. The seal near the chest was fashioned from the teeth of the bear; Aaron made sure never to waste anything, especially something that he killed. Aaron pulled the hood up and put a silver mask over his face only making his eyes visible; he got the mask from a blacksmith in a local village that he traded a few squirrels for it. He then began walking to the village of the hidden leaf making sure that his identity was concealed.

Aaron entered the village and walked through it casually as he ignored the villagers staring at him. Aaron walked to a local restaurant and took a seat on one of the stools. "What can I get for you?" The chef asked smiling at Aaron as he sharpened his knives.

Aaron didn't really know what to get, and he was just happy to not have to cook. "Surprise me." Aaron said placing some money on the counter.

"Very well." The chef said smiling as he picked up the money and put it in the cash register. "So where are you from?" He asked curiously not having seen Aaron before.

"Not here." He said coldly glaring through the mask. The chef set a small cup of tea in front of Aaron who removed the bottom half of his mask as he took a sip. The chef later sat a bowl of noodles in front of Aaron; along with the noodles there was an egg on top as well as some onions and pieces of chicken, and there was a yellowish broth in the bottom of the bowl. Aaron picked up his chopsticks and began eating the food.

"How is it?" The chef asked smiling.

"The best that I've had in a while." Aaron admitted smiling at the chef who smiled back as Aaron continued to eat. Aaron quickly finished the food and decided to relax a little as he sat around and sipped tea.

Aaron was genuinely relaxing until he heard three familiar voices. "Naruto, you just ate."

"But, I'm so hungry."

"Big surprise."

"Shut up. We're here. I'll take three bowls of ramen. What do you guys want?" The voice belonging to Naruto said as the chef smiled and began filling the order as they took a seat at the counter. "Hey buddy, can you pass the crackers?" Naruto motioned to the bowl next to Aaron who pushed it over to him making sure not to make eye contact.

The chef sat three bowls of ramen in front of Naruto and a plate of dumplings in front of Aaron that he told him were on the house. When Naruto thought that Aaron wasn't looking, he attempted to steal a dumpling only to be met with a kunai inches from his hand lodged in the table. "Take it easy, it was only one dumpling." Naruto said only to be met with a glare from Aaron.

"Why are you here, Aaron?" Sasuke asked which caused Aaron to cringe. Aaron put the lower half of his mask on and grabbed the kunai from the counter before he touched the mark on his arm activating The Snow Leopard's Piercing Stare and sprinting off.

"Come on let's go after him." Naruto said after gulping down his last bowl of ramen and running after Aaron.

Aaron continued to run; he was scared of what the ninja would do when they caught him. Aaron was currently running through the market as he knocked over several crates and barrels to create obstacles for the pursuing ninja. Aaron then pushed a shopkeeper from his cart and started throwing the fruits that had been stored on it. Aaron hit Naruto on the head with an apple, then an orange, and finally a watermelon. Regardless, Naruto continued to chase after Aaron with Sasuke and Sakura following closely behind him. Aaron threw a kunai at a barrel causing the contents, which appeared to be some sort of oil, to flow out on to the ground. The oil served as a successful distraction as Naruto first slipped and fell while Sasuke and Sakura kept trying to maintain their balance only to fall in to the same position as Naruto.

Aaron didn't see any traces of the ninja following him, but he didn't stop running until he found a safe place to catch his breath. Aaron was currently sitting on the roof of a house with his mask off as well as his cloak as he watched the sun set in the distance. "You want to tell me why you're here?" A voice belonging to Sasuke asked causing Aaron to jump and throw a kunai at him while also grabbing his sword.

"Relax, I'm not here to fight you." Sasuke said putting his hands up showing no weapons.

Aaron reluctantly stowed his sword as Sasuke took a seat next to him on the roof. "I just came here to relax." Aaron sighed.

"Well having no responsibility can be pretty stressful." Sasuke said sarcastically.

"You don't have any idea of what I deal with every day. I have a pack of snow leopards communicating with me in my sleep, a village that rejected me, a house to maintain, and a bunch of annoying ninja like you getting in my business." Aaron said glaring at Sasuke coldly. "I've said enough. I'll be leaving now." Aaron said standing up and grabbing his stuff before touching the mark on his arm, leaping from the roof, and dashing off.


	7. Chapter 6

Aaron found himself in the snowy mountains once more. "You had a social outing yesterday?" One of the leopards asked Aaron.

"More like a day where I tried to relax." Aaron said thinking about the fighting that ensued.

"I hope that you learn to let others in to your heart." One of the leopards said before Aaron woke up.

"I'm not letting anyone in. My village abandoned me, my family abandoned me, and anyone else will just be the same." Aaron thought to himself before getting dressed and performing his chores for the day. Aaron pulled out his sword and carved a target in to a large tree. Aaron pulled out his kunai and began throwing them at the tree to test and improve his accuracy.

Aaron kept throwing kunai at the tree until one of them was caught by someone. "What do you want?" Aaron asked looking at the figure that was standing in the tree.

The figure jumped down from the tree and looked at Aaron. "I am Anko of the Hidden Leaf Village. I have been sent by Tsunade to keep an eye on you. Good aim." She said looking at the marks in the tree and throwing a kunai herself and getting a bull's-eye.

"What do you want though?" Aaron asked slightly irritated, but still impressed with her skill.

"Tsunade sent me to watch over you and not interfere, but I got bored with just watching you train, so I decided to break her rules." She said pulling the kunai from the tree.

"What is with you guys? Why can't you just leave me alone?" Aaron said in anger as he threw a barrage of kunai at her which she quickly dodged.

"If it were up to me, I would leave you alone, but her orders are final. How about we just talk?" Anko asked as she dodged another kunai from Aaron.

"There's nothing to say." Aaron told her as he touched the mark on his arm and sprinted off in to the woods with Anko closely pursuing him. Aaron saw Anko following him. "Just leave me alone!" Aaron shouted as he increased his speed until he reached a clearing. Aaron drew his sword ready to fight Anko. "Back off." Aaron said staring at her coldly with the Snow Leopard's Piercing Stare.

"My mission wasn't to fight you, but I will." She said performing several jutsus while attacking Aaron who dodged most of her attacks. Aaron delivered a few slashes to her, but she seemed relentless as she attacked Aaron who was running short of breath. "Please just stop fighting before you get hurt." Anko said looking at Aaron who was covered in cuts, bruises, and was breathing heavily.

"I've already been hurt. This is nothing." Aaron said as he ran at Anko full of adrenaline and swinging his sword. Anko quickly dodged the attack and kicked Aaron in the back knocking him to the ground. Anko looked at Aaron lying on the ground and sighed as she lifted him on to her shoulders.

Aaron woke up breathing heavily and sweating as he clutched his chest; he felt several bandages on his body and a cool cloth on his forehead. Aaron took a look around and saw that he was in a cabin. "Glad to see that you're awake." Anko said sipping a cup of tea. "Nice place you got here." She said looking around.

"Why'd you bring me back here?" Aaron asked pulling back the blanket and getting out of his bed to realize that he had been stripped down to his boxers.

"You needed medical attention and Tsunade's orders were to keep an eye on you, and that means making sure that you don't get hurt." Anko said pushing Aaron back down on to the bed. "Just relax. You need your rest." She said placing another cool cloth on his forehead.

"I'm fine. You can go home now." Aaron said taking the cloth off of his forehead.

Anko looked at Aaron. "Prove it. Stand up and walk in a straight line." Anko said looking at Aaron who was in no shape to be moving around.

Aaron scowled at her and stood up. He walked a few feet forward before falling on to his knee. "Come on, back to bed." Anko said helping Aaron up and leading him back to his bed.

"Alright, you can leave now." Aaron said as he situated himself in his bed.

"Tsunade will be furious when she finds out I did this to you. I need to make sure that you're okay." Anko said sternly.

"Look, I'm used to taking care of myself. If Tsunade asks, you were defending yourself. I'm the one who attacked you first, and this isn't the first time that I've taken the blame for something. In my village, I was a popular scapegoat among the bullies. No one would listen to me because I can not channel chakra. They just assumed that I was a bad child and I was responsible for anything bad that happened in my old village." Aaron told her.

"That is rather tragic, but I'm not a member of your village. I have a responsibility to take care of anyone who is suffering in pain, especially people that I inflict it upon." Anko said.

"Look you can go. I promise you that I will rest. Despite my behavior, I'm someone who keeps their word." Aaron told her. "Please, just leave." Aaron said a little irritated.

"I'll leave, but if I find out that you lied to me, I'll beat you up again and put a sealing jutsu on you and make sure that you rest." Anko said menacingly while smiling as she left.

Aaron winced at the very idea of being trapped by her. Aaron got out of his bed and made himself a cup of tea almost setting fire to the cabin in the process. He drank the tea while sitting up in his bed; after he finished, he sat the cup down on a table and laid down in his bed. "I hate to say it, but I need to rest." Aaron said to himself as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Aaron woke up in the snowy mountains again. He saw several snow leopards surrounding him. "Are you alright? We sense great pain radiating from you." One of them said concerned.

"I'm fine. Does it feel hot up here?" Aaron asked feeling his forehead.

One of the leopards ran at him and pounced on him putting a paw to his forehead. "He is ill. We must take action." One of them said motioning to the other leopards.

"I'm fine. I just need some rest." Aaron said trying to push the leopard off only for him to be engulfed in a red flame.

"He is not fine." Several of the leopards said as they looked at the fire and saw Aaron wake up. Aaron woke up sweating profusely and clutching his chest. He hobbled over to the bathroom and leaned over the toilet as he started throwing up. Once he was sure that he was finished, Aaron ran a cloth in some cold water and put it on his forehead as he got back in to his bed and laid down groaning; he made sure to put a bucket by his bed which he used.

Aaron looked at some of his bandages and saw some of the wounds were still open and bleeding as he started to change the bandages. "Must be some sort of infection." Aaron muttered under his breath as he laid down in his bed groaning and moaning as he fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 7

Aaron woke up to see several snow leopard's by his bedside; they all wore silver collars with some sort of red gemstone in the middle. "It's good to see that you're awake." One of them said looking at Aaron.

"How did you guys get here?" Aaron asked in shock trying to make sure that he wasn't dreaming or in the mountains again.

"The gemstones on our collars hold magical powers granted to us by the legendary ninja who created the forge. They allow us to travel to members of our tribe within seconds. We came here once you woke up. Our gemstones belong to a subdivision of our pack that is responsible for caring for children, the sick, and the injured. Like medical ninjas." The snow leopard explained.

"I told you guys that I can take care of myself." Aaron said trying to stand up only to be pushed back down on to his bed by one of the leopards.

"You are ill, and it is our job to take care of our tribe. Now relax." A female leopard said as she reached in to a pouch that she had brought with her. She pulled out a small vial with a deep blue liquid inside of it. "This is water from a spring located deep within the mountain. It has healing properties that should help with your injuries." She said as she removed the top from the vial and handed it to Aaron expecting him to drink it. Aaron swallowed the water which tasted slightly salty.

Almost instantly, Aaron's wounds started to heal and his fever seemed to go down. "I feel a lot better now." Aaron said standing up from his bed.

"That is good to hear, but you still need to rest." One of them said pushing Aaron back down on to the bed. "Also, we must ask. Who did this to you?" One of the leopards asked as Aaron struggled a little bit in the bed with the leopards pinning him down until he stopped struggling.

"Some ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village." Aaron said as one of the leopards put a blanket over him.

"Shall we take action?" One of them asked.

"No." Aaron said sternly.

"But they injured you greatly." One of the leopards said with concern.

Just then, the door to Aaron's cabin opened to show Sasuke, Sakura, and Hinata. "Aaron, Tsunade sent us to check up on you after Anko…" Sakura was about to continue speaking, but she saw the snow leopards who analyzed the three ninja carefully before pouncing on them.

"You have harmed a member of our pack and now you must deal with us." One of them growled slashing Sasuke with its claws. The ninja tried to fight back with weapons and jutsus, but they were no match for the leopards' strength, speed, and animal instincts. The moment that they had a chance, they sprinted back to their village retreating from the leopards who were determined to protect Aaron. They returned to Aaron's bedside in the cabin. "You are safe now. You should rest now while we keep watch over you."

"They weren't trying to hurt me. I know that it would eventually turn out that way, but they were trying to be nice." Aaron said.

"Then why do you fight them?" One of the leopard's asked.

"I don't want to let them in, and fighting them seems like the easiest way to repel them." Aaron sighed.

"Maybe you should learn to let them in. Alliances are what makes one stronger." One of the Leopard's said motioning to the two leopards by its side. "We will be leaving now, but we expect you to take those words to heart." It said before it and the other leopards turned to snow and vanished.

Aaron thought about the leopard's words briefly. "Letting them in is only beneficial if they have something that I need. Alliances are built on trust, and I don't trust people. My village destroyed my trust. Trust only led to betrayal and me getting hurt. I was used, and these ninja are no different.

Aaron was having an internal conflict in his mind. "They most likely will not hurt you." A voice said.

"Who are you?" Aaron asked putting his hand to his head thinking that he was going insane.

"It's me, Silver. It took me a little while to actually penetrate your mind and communicate with you." He said.

"Not being able to channel chakra gave me the time to practice techniques not requiring it. Learning to seal off certain parts of my mind was one of those things." Aaron thought which Silver heard through his mind.

"Your mind is like a labyrinth, and whenever I think I'm going to find something I end up in a trap of some sort." Silver said.

"That's the point. My mind is mine, and I only share what I want to. I practiced the technique of mastering the mind to advanced levels of redirecting pain, and I can attack people who try to read my mind with my thoughts." Aaron said through his mind. "I suggest you try not to pry too much." Aaron said as he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

"Wait, snow leopards attacked you?" Tsunade asked for the third time in a row.

"Yes, they said something about protecting their pack member." Sakura said with an icepack on her shoulder.

"Aaron said that they made him a member of their tribe. It wouldn't surprise me that when Anko hurt him it sent out some sort of distress signal." Hinata said. "It's too bad I couldn't get a better look at Aaron before being attacked."

"They were trying to protect him, and I don't blame them for thinking that we are hostile. I just hope that Aaron can see that we are not trying to be hostile." Tsunade sighed before dismissing the ninja from her office.

Sasuke walked from Tsunade's office and went home. "I was where he was. No one to care for me or want me, everyone treating me like dirt. Maybe, I can talk to him. Clearly a group won't be successful." Sasuke thought to himself as he decided that he would be going to check up on Aaron the next day.


	9. Chapter 8

Aaron was busy splitting wood with his sword when he saw Sasuke approach him. "Nice blade." Sasuke said trying to make conversation. "Do you need a hand?" He asked.

"Go for it." Aaron said pointing to a pile of logs. Sasuke made quick work of the logs with the use of his jutsus. "Must be nice to be able to do that." Aaron sighed as he stowed his sword.

Sasuke then realized that he had made Aaron feel weak by using his jutsus. "It's just something that I know how to do." Sasuke said trying to hide his sympathy for Aaron.

"So, why are you here?" Aaron asked him.

"I'm worried about you. I was in the same place as you at one point." Sasuke said looking at the sky and planting his feet in the ground.

"What do you mean?" Aaron asked pulling a kunai from his pocket and spinning it on his finger.

Sasuke tried to grab the kunai, but Aaron blocked him. "I mean that I felt alone and hated. Orochimaru made me his apprentice and test subject." Sasuke told him.

"I heard about him. You should have stayed." Aaron said coldly.

"What do you mean by that?" Sasuke asked angrily.

"I mean, he could have given you strength, power, and vengeance." Aaron said looking at Sasuke who had his fists clenched.

"Those things aren't important when your friends are at stake." Sasuke said angrily.

"Your friends made you weak." Aaron said throwing the kunai at him which Sasuke caught.

"Friends make you stronger, but you wouldn't know because you never had any." Sasuke said throwing the kunai at him piercing his shoulder.

Aaron winced in pain from the kunai; he watched as the kunai in his shoulder turned to ice and shattered. The mark on his arm glowed violently as Aaron let out a loud roar. "You crossed a line." Aaron roared angrily as small claws protruded from his hands and his hair turned to a silver color; several patches of snow appeared beneath Aaron's feet. The palm of Aaron's hands glowed blue as he rapidly fired kunai made of ice at Sasuke. He dodged most of them, but when they made contact with something, ice would grow from the tip of them. One of the kunai hit Sasuke's arm causing ice to grow from it; he quickly broke the ice as he used his fire flower jutsu on Aaron who jumped up high and pounced on Sasuke. Aaron dragged his claws against Sasuke's chest and watched as ice formed around the wounds causing Sasuke to cringe. "I have no friends, and yet you're the one who loses." Aaron said roaring loudly as he readied his claw to finish Sasuke off when a shuriken knocked him back.

Sasuke quickly jumped back and found his friends by his side. "This is what makes me stronger. Having someone by my side to watch my back." Sasuke said looking at Sakura and Naruto who nodded their heads as they all rushed at Aaron.

Aaron roared loudly as an icy wind began blowing around him. Aaron shattered the wind and watched as it blew the three ninja back. "You're only strong together. Alone, you're weak, like everyone else." Aaron said angrily as he rushed at Sakura and knocked her to the ground. He opened his mouth and Sakura watched as his teeth glowed blue before biting her arm. She screamed in pain while Aaron jumped off of her.

She stood up trying to use a jutsu, but she couldn't. "Guys, don't let him bite you. He'll drain your chakra." Sakura said collapsing on to her knee as ice started growing from the bite mark on her arm.

"You're not biting me!" Naruto shouted as he threw a shuriken at Aaron who was covered in a veil of snow before vanishing. He reappeared behind Sasuke and knocked him to the ground before biting him and draining his chakra before he collapsed.

Naruto threw another shuriken at Aaron who shot a beam of ice at it causing it to freeze and shatter. Aaron flung a barrage of ice kunai at Naruto who was hit by all of them as he was pinned against a tree with his arms and legs encased in ice. "I think I'm going to enjoy draining your chakra the most." Aaron said as he readied his teeth and bit down on Naruto's arm. Aaron started draining Naruto's chakra until he was hit with a pulse of red energy that knocked him on to his back.

Aaron heard a voice speaking in his head as he put his hands on his head and screamed in agony. "What are you!?" Aaron screamed as his eyes closed. He found himself in what appeared to be a dungeon with a blue energy charged mist flowing around the floor and through the walls; it was cold as Aaron shivered while Silver appeared next to him.

A large pair of eyes opened in the dungeon wall. "You shall not steal my power." The eyes said as Aaron screamed in pain and the blue mist turned red and Aaron felt hotter, almost like he was on fire.

"I'm not stealing your power. I'm just trying to teach these ninja a lesson." Aaron screamed as he fought the pain.

"Perhaps you need to learn a lesson." The eyes said as a claw appeared and grabbed Silver and squeezed him causing Aaron to wince from sharing the pain. The claw set Silver down where Aaron ran over to him and saw a red mark on his chest as well as one on the mark on Aaron's shoulder. "I have sealed your power. You will not be able to use your power until you learn to trust others." The eyes said before Aaron woke up from the trance no longer in his snow leopard form. The three ninja ran off to return back to their village fearing that Aaron would go berserk again.

Aaron tried drawing his sword, but something was preventing him from having full control over it; he winced when he felt a burning sensation from the seal on his arm which repeated the creature's message. He waited until dark before he went to bed. He woke up in the snowy mountain pass. "We sense a disturbance in your powers. First you were overflowing with energy, and now your energy is minimal." One of the leopards said.

"Some creature sealed off my power telling me that I need to learn to trust others." Aaron said pointing to the blood red seal on his arm. "Can you remove it?"

"Sadly we can't. And if even if we could, the creature is right. You do need to learn to trust others." One of the leopards said before Aaron blacked out.


	10. Chapter 9

Aaron woke up and got dressed. He picked up his sword, but quickly set it down remembering the mark on his arm; he did the same thing with his armor. He opened up a trunk and pulled out a regular katana that he bought from a village blacksmith and strapped it to his back. Aaron didn't bother putting on his cloak as he started walking to the Hidden Leaf Village. When he got there, several people in the streets broke in to murmurs as they watched Aaron walk through the village. Several people ran in to their homes fearing that Aaron might attack them. He sighed to himself as he walked to the restaurant that he went to when he first came to the village. He took a seat on the stool and handed the chef some money. "The usual?" The chef asked. Aaron nodded his head as the chef got to work.

He sat the bowl in front of Aaron and handed him a pair of chopsticks. "Thank you." He said as he started eating; he even placed some money in the tip jar earning a smile from the chef. Aaron finished eating and stood up to walk away only to bump in to Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke; the ninja jumped back ready for Aaron to try and attack them.

Instead of attacking them, Aaron started running. The ninja began pursuing him closely on his tail as he ran through the village. Wherever Aaron ran, the ninja seemed to be. Aaron ran through the streets dodging various jutsus and weapons being thrown at him. Aaron was very successful until a kunai hit his leg causing him to fall to the ground; he winced as he pulled the kunai from his leg while the ninjas surrounded him. "We're not going to let you cause any trouble." Naruto said glaring at him.

"Why would I cause trouble?" Aaron asked out of breath while he looked up at the ninja; he was leaning on his knee still feeling the sting of the kunai and the fresh wound on his leg. "You're the ones who attacked me." He glared at them.

"We're sorry." Sasuke said knowing that he was right.

"I'll say I'm sorry when he says that he's sorry." Naruto said angrily.

"Sorry." Aaron muttered under his breath.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you." Naruto said with a small smile creeping up on his face.

"I'm sorry." Aaron said in a normal voice this time.

"I still can't hear you." Naruto said with a bigger smile.

"I'm sorry!" Aaron shouted loud enough for most of the village to hear.

"That wasn't so hard was it?" Naruto asked smiling. Aaron glared at him while Sakura elbowed him in the chest.

"Come on. Have a little respect. He did apologize to you." Sakura said.

"Fine, I guess I'm sorry." Naruto said.

"I need to go." Aaron said standing up and trying to walk away only to fall back down on to his knee.

"You're hurt. Let me help." Sakura said running to Aaron's side and reaching in to her bag. Aaron pushed her back trying to stand up again, but only falling back down. "I can help you. You just need to trust me." Sakura told him.

Aaron cringed hearing the word trust. "Fine." He muttered moving his hands from the wound so that Sakura could look at it. "Let's just get this over with."

Sakura pulled some sort of spray from her bag. She sprayed Aaron's leg who winced from the stinging sensation, but relaxed when it stopped. She bandaged his leg and helped him up. "You might want to take it easy on that leg for a bit. It needs to heal." Sakura explained.

"Thanks." Aaron mumbled as he started walking back to his house only to fall down again, this time passing out.

"I'll go get Tsunade. There's no way that we're letting him go back to his house. We'll find living arrangements for him in the village tonight." Sakura said before running off to go speak with the village's hokage.

Sasuke picked up the sheathed katana on Aaron's back and removed it from the sheath and examined it. "This isn't his normal sword. Something definitely isn't right about him." Sasuke said putting the sword back.

"Yeah, and look at his arm. There's some sort of seal on it." Naruto said pointing to the blood red mark over the wolf mark.

"Go get Hinata. I want her to look at him." Sasuke said as Naruto nodded his head and ran off to go find the Byakugan wielding girl.

Aaron was laying in a hospital room in his boxers with his vitals being monitored closely. Hinata was currently looking at him. "His powers seem to be sealed off. The ice he normally taps in to is sealed off by some sort of fire. It seems to weaken him, but he is still pretty strong with his weapons." Hinata told the other ninja.

"Maybe when he lost control and started draining our chakra this happened." Naruto said looking at the blood red seal on Aaron's arm.

"That most likely is the case, so until he is better we are his ally and his friend." Tsunade said walking in to the room behind Sakura.

"And if he goes berserk and gets violent?" Sasuke asked.

"Calm him down and bring him back here. He needs to know that we do not wish to hurt him, and this is our chance to prove that. Am I clear?" Tsunade asked all of the ninja; they nodded their heads knowing that Tsunade's word was final on all matters.

Aaron's eyes opened briefly hearing them all speak, but they quickly closed again as he groaned and laid back down on the comfortable bed. What no one saw was a piece of the seal on Aaron's arm disappear.

"Come on, let's let him get some rest. One of you stay and keep watch. When he wakes up, come get me so that I can explain everything to him." Tsunade said as everyone except for Sasuke left the room.


	11. Chapter 10

**It's been almost a year since I worked on this one. Consider this chapter some light dusting.**

Aaron woke up rubbing his head. "Feeling better?" Sakura asked looking over at him.

"Slightly." He moaned in pain.

She put a hand on his forehead. "You're a little warm. I'll go get Tsunade." She walked off.

"How are you?" Tsunade asked walking into the room.

"Fine." Aaron mumbled.

"If you really want, I can let you leave tomorrow."

"Works for me." Aaron rubbed his eyes before closing them once more.

 _Days later…_

Aaron was working outside of his house. A boy wearing a green jumpsuit approached. "You are the other ninja who can not process chakra. I found you."

"Who are you?" Aaron asked setting aside a basket of vegetables.

"I am Rock Lee and I would enjoy a battle with you. No weapons, just fists."

"I'm not battling at the moment." Aaron pointed to the bandages around his waist. "I can train with you though."

"That works for me." Rock Lee smiled getting into a fight stance.

"Let's go." Aaron dropped his sword on the ground. He threw the first punch.

Lee caught it. "You're fast."

"Very." Aaron swept his feet knocking him on to his back. Lee immediately hopped up and charged at him knocking Aaron on to his back. "Not bad." Aaron forced himself up. Every punch and kick he threw, Lee was there to block it. "Faster, stronger, relentless." Aaron kept repeating to himself with each attack.

"Keep going!" He was smiling before he threw a kick that sent Aaron flying.

Aaron took a deep breath and coughed a little. "I'm out. I'm sorry, but I can't keep going like this."

"It's not a problem." Lee smiled and ran over to help him up. "I can't wait to battle you when you're at full health."

"I'll be better when this mark disappears." Aaron pointed to the red mark on his arm.

"How does it disappear?" Lee asked curious.

"I think that it has something to do with trusting others." Aaron pointed to it again watching another piece of it disappear.

"Why did that happen?" Lee asked.

"It seems that I trust you." Aaron sighed. "I can't hide my feelings with this thing. Thanks for the fight." He picked his sword off the ground and put it on his back. He then grabbed the basket of vegetables and walked inside his cabin.

"He seems like a nice guy." Lee smiled walking off. "I'm going to have to train more to beat him."

 _…_

Aaron ground up several herbs that Tsunade gave him. He poured them into a cup of fruit juice and stirred it until they were no longer visible. He took a sip and coughed heavily. "Strong herbs." He coughed again before taking another sip. "It has to get worse before it gets better." He repeated to himself in the back of his head until the cup was empty. He stretched himself out before returning to his room. He grabbed a roll of bandages and began rewrapping some of his wounds. He bit off the end of the roll when he finished.

He walked outside and grabbed a shovel. For no reason at all, he walked a bit from his house and began to dig a hole. He flung dirt to the side with each shoveling. His breaks were only for food and water. Close to the end of the day, the hole was now six feet deep. He climbed out of the hole and planted the shovel into the pile of dirt. "Tomorrow, deeper." He told himself walking back to his cabin for the night.

The next day, after his normal activities, Aaron returned to the hole. He grabbed his shovel and jumped into the hole. He began digging deeper. As he continued, the hole also grew wider. By the end of the day, the hole was now nine feet deep.

Without The Snow Leopard's Piercing Stare, it was more difficult for Aaron to detect the presence of others around him. Anko went undetected watching him from a tree. "He's just digging a hole. No point in staying to watch this." She disappeared heading back to the village.

 _…_

"Just digging a hole?" Tsunade asked again.

"That's what he was doing." Anko said eating some potato chips while she sat on Tsunade's desk.

"I can only assume it's some way for him to train."

"He definitely looked better." Anko commented. "Did you know that Rock Lee challenged him a few days ago?"

"I was not aware. How did that go?"

"They just trained together, but Aaron was too weak to keep going. I think that he likes him. They talked for a little bit afterwards." Anko crumpled up the empty bag and threw it into a trashcan.

"Anko, bring me Lee. I would like to have a word with him." Anko nodded her head walking out the door of the office.

 _A little while later…_

There was a knock on the door. "Come in." Tsunade said sitting behind her desk.

"You wanted to see me Hokage?" Lee asked walking into the office.

"Yes, I'm aware that you went to visit Aaron?" Lee nodded his head. "How did that go?"

"We did some basic sparring together. He's well trained. It was too bad about his injuries."

"I'm also aware that you talked after your training with him. How did that go? I want details."

Lee scratched the back of his head. "He said that he trusts me." Lee made sure to leave out the part about Aaron's arm.

"Why does he trust you?" Tsunade crossed her arms looking at him inquisitively.

"I guess because we both can't channel chakra. Maybe he just knows that I have a good heart."

"Were you aware that he's digging a rather large hole in the ground?"

"No, is it a new form of training?"

"Lee, go." Tsunade pointed to the door. He nodded his head and left. "Sometimes that boy gives me a headache. Both of them."


End file.
